Nana Boateng Gyimah, Chief Executive Officer of Tribe Culture Fest, has denied allegations by the Minister for Sports and Recreation, Kofi Adams, that he illegally received US$611,000 and is avoiding a refund.
Gyimah challenged the minister to provide evidence to support the allegation, insisting that neither he nor his company received the amount from any private individual in connection with arrangements for Ghana’s participation in the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
In a statement, he said Tribe Culture Fest’s agreement was exclusively with the National Sports Authority (NSA) and the Ghana Tourism Authority (GTA).
“I categorically deny the allegations attributed to the Minister for Sports, Hon. Kofi Adams, that I or Tribe Culture Fest illegally received US$611,000 and avoided a refund,” he stated.
Tribe Culture Fest CEO added that the minister should produce any agreement, authorisation or consent linking him or his company to the alleged financial arrangement.
Tribe Culture Fest CEO challenges Sports Minister to provide evidence
The denial follows comments by Adams accusing Gyimah of supplying what he described as false information to Vincent Ekow Assafuah, Member of Parliament for Old Tafo, regarding allegations of visa fraud involving the minister and other government officials.
According to Adams, Tribe Culture Fest CEO was attempting to divert public attention from money he allegedly collected under an agreement involving his company and the NSA to facilitate travel arrangements for Ghanaians attending the 2026 World Cup.
The minister claimed that Gyimah received approximately US$611,000 unlawfully and was using public commentary surrounding the visa controversy to avoid refunding the money.
“He cannot run away with $611,000 of people’s money. We must make sure that we get him, and if it is found that right from the word go, he deceived the people, we must take the appropriate criminal actions,” Adams said.
Minister explains visa verification process
Speaking on TV3 on October 11, 2026, about the controversy surrounding a list of 90 people submitted for visa processing ahead of Ghana’s participation in the World Cup, Adams also discussed communication between his ministry and the United States Embassy concerning four individuals.
He said the embassy had requested verification of the four individuals in a submission made directly by the NSA on March 18, 2026, before the ministry’s formal arrangement with the authority began.
According to the minister, he contacted the NSA’s Director-General to establish whether the individuals were genuine employees and requested details including their staff identification numbers, salaries, employment dates and duty stations.
Adams said the Director-General informed him that the four individuals were not employees of the NSA, prompting him to respond to the verification request.
“I signed and indicated that they are not known to the ministry and NSA,” he said, explaining that his response was a verification note rather than a formal letter.
The minister stressed that the four individuals were part of an earlier submission and were not included in the 90-person list at the centre of the current controversy.
By:Rachael Djabakie